Study on the Filter Media for Constructed Wetlands - ijirset
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ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2018
Study on the Filter Media for Constructed
Wetlands
Anu Paul 1, Gifty George 2, Iylin Joshy2, Sreelekha.C2, Theressa Sajna Sojan2
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Viswajyothi College of Engineering and Technology,
Vazhakulam,Muvattupuzha, Kerala, India1
U.G. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Viswajyothi College of Engineering and Technology, Vazhakulam,
Muvattupuzha, Kerala, India2
ABSTRACT: The primary treated effluent was treated using constructed wetlands which is highly effective and eco
friendly, it uses plants, microbes and gravity to transform wastewater into gardens and reuse water. They use rooted
wetland plants (vetiver) and bio-filter to improve the water quality. Bio-filter was developed using organic and
inorganic media. Inorganic media include sand and gravel. Organic media includes wood charcoal. Vetiver grass is a
versatile hardy plant, deep, fast growing and fibrous root systems and shows good treatment efficiency for
contaminants present in the effluent. The different properties of the filter aggregates was analysed and inferred with
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water treatment manuals filtration. The filter aggregates have macro porosity
and allow better regulation of water flow. The main aim of this study was to find out the properties of filter media and
the effectiveness of vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides L.Nash) in the treatment of wastewaters in constructed
wetlands.
KEYWORDS: Primary treated effluent, vetiver, biofilter.
I. INTRODUCTION
About 71 % of the earth’s surface is filled with water. But we still have a shortage of water as the amount of usable
freshwater is only 1%. The main sources of fresh water are continental rainfall and ground water ,but this is insufficient
to support the entire world population which is increasing rapidly year by year. Thus the availability of usable
freshwater per capita is decreasing day by day. Due to this apportion, the world population experience water stress and
water scarcity during a large part of the year.
Along with the natural scarcity of fresh water, the quality of available freshwater is also deteriorating due to pollution
from domestic, industrial and due to the disposal of harmful waste into natural waters. The failure of the current
sanitation contributes as one of the reasons for water crisis. The use of surface and ground water as a sink for waste
water has related in the increase of health hazards and environmental pollution. The major sources of pollutants in
developing countries include untreated sewage, domestic wastewater from households and municipal sewage. These
contain biodegradable organic matter, inorganic and organic chemicals, toxic substances and disease causing agents.
We need to purify our water sources because along with causing scarcity of drinking water, wastewater consumes
oxygen leading to the death of aquatic animals. This wastewater contains nutrients that promote eutrophication by
increasing the growth of algae and decreasing biodiversity. Wastewater has a bad odour, contains toxic chemicals and
pathogens leading to water-borne diseases. High energy consumption, mechanical components that require heavy
investment and high operating cost are the major drawbacks of conventional wastewater treatment plants. They are
only suitable for large quantities of wastewater and also require skilled labour. They are mainly used in big cities and
developed countries. They are not suitable for developing countries and small communities lacking skilled labour. The
most sustainable solutions of wastewater recycling will be passive self-adaptive living systems. One such promising
Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2018.0703014 2060
ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2018
technology for wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands. Compared to conventional wastewater systems,
constructed wetlands are low cost, easily operated and maintained. They enable the conversion of pollutants to essential
nutrients which can be reused for other biological activities.
A constructed wetland is an artificial wetland specifically constructed for the purpose of pollution control and waste
management at locations other than existing wetlands. The different components of a wetland include vegetation,
hydric soil, substrate, water column, and living organisms. The major processes can occur are microbial activity, plant
uptake, biodegradation, phytoaccumulation, photodegradation, cation exchange co-precipitation, sedimentation,
sorption and settling. The use of constructed wetlands can be a cost-effective treatment alternative. Typically a
constructed wetland should perform better than a natural wetland of equal area because the bottom is usually graded
and the hydraulic regime in the system is controlled. Constructed wetlands are designed and constructed to imitate the
function of a natural wetland using natural chemicals, physical and biological processes. They are used for the
treatment of municipal industrial and agricultural wastewater as well as stormwater to remove pollutants and produce
effluent of the quality suitable for reuse or for release into the environment.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Arushai Sheoran (2015): A serious problem facing the cities presently is the enormous volume of municipal
wastewater discharged per day. Wetlands seem to be a good remedy to this threatening problem. There are two major
types of constructed wastewater wetlands-water surface wetland (FWS) and Sub-Surface flow constructed treatment
wetlands . The main components of the wetland are wetland vegetation, substrate or media, water and living organisms
in the wetland.
Jaya S.Pillai, Vijayan N. (2013): Vertical flow constructed wetland systems planted with indigenous species such as
Napier Bajra Hybrid grass and Guinea grass were developed for the treatment and utilization of Greywater for non-
potable purposes. The performance of the control and experimental systems were analyzed and compared based on
water quality parameters such as Turbidity, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD),
Total Suspended Solids,(TSS), Nitrates, Phosphates, and Total Nitrogen (TN). For all the water quality parameters
analyzed during the study period, the vertical flow constructed wetland system planted with Napier Bajra Hybrid grass
achieved high removal efficiency.
Erina Rahmadyanti, Edy Wiyono(2013): This study helped to understand the efficieny of the use of constructed
wetland as a wastewater treatment technology for flats. Plants used in the constructed wetland are often found in East
Java, Typha latifolia, Papyrus and Iris. The results showed that all three types of plants have high efficiency in
processing the wastewater is above 80 percent. Optimal plant density was 16 plants/m2 for all kinds of variations of
plants (Typha latifolia, Papyrus, and Iris) and optimal detention time was 5 days.
Madhukar M., Chethan G., Priyanka K. T., Ashwin R. S., Sowmya N. S., Surya(2012): The conventional method to
remove the pollutants from water is to pass it through the porous filter media. The common porous media are sand,
charcoal, anthracite, activated carbon, etc. The Laterite soil helps in the removal of pollutants with the help of its
porous and permeable nature, adsorption and ion exchange capacity. Laterite media was efficient in reducing turbidity
by 90% and 92% at 25mL/min flow rate respectively for residential pavement runoff water. Similarly, Total Hardness,
Nitrate, Iron and Fluoride was as also significantly reduced in both the runoff water
Dhanya, G*. and Jaya, D.S.(2013): The main aim of the study was to find out the effectiveness of vetiver grass
(Vetiveria zizanioides L. Nash) in the treatment of wastewaters in constructed wetlands. The results of the study show
that more than 50% percentage removal of pollutants especially nutrients after 15 days treatment of wastewaters in
constructed wetlands was observed and it showed the efficiency of the vetiver variety for improving the water quality.
Even though that wastewater is highly polluted, the plants survived in the harsh environment and it indicated the high
tolerance of vetiver grass against the waste water-induced stress. So from the present study, it was evident that vetiver
grass is an ideal candidate for wastewater treatment using constructed wetland technology.
Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2018.0703014 2061ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2018
III.METHODOLOGY
According to the hydraulic regime, free water surface wetland (FWS) and sub-surface flow(SSF) constructed wetland
are the two types of constructed wastewater wetland. The FWS wetland consist of a basin or a channel with water at
relatively shallow depth flowing over the soil and roots of vegetation. For SSF, the water is maintained below the
surface of wetland bodies, usually it consists of gravel planted with emergent microphytes. This system can be further
categorized into horizontal subsurface flow (HSF) and vertical subsurface flow (VSF). A saturated condition is created
in HSF as the flow is usually continuous .while in VSF, the media is completely unsaturated due to intermittent feeding.
According to Indian scenario, the availability of land for the treatment of wastewater generated is less, therefore the
best suited would be VSF. We have constructed a prototype of VSF with a glass tank of size 0.9m x 0.6m x 0.76m,
provided with a bottom slope of 2% for the collection of treated water. The major layer of the constructed wetlands
includes wetland vegetation, substrate or media, water column & living organisms.
Wetland vegetation: The plants have an important role in wetlands. They should be able to adapt to waterlogged
conditions, local climatic conditions, resistant to high pollutant minerals. They help in releasing oxygen by
photosynthesis, reduce the velocity of inflow water thereby improving sedimentation of suspended solids, hydraulic
conductivity of substrate and uptake of nutrients. In SSF wetlands, plants interact with wastewater at root zone only.
The roots provide large surface area for the growth of microorganisms and bacterial colonies, forming a biofilm which
is attached to the surface of substrate articles and roots. The hydraulic conductivity of the substrate is maintained by the
root system. The common plants used are Common Reed, Cattail, Bullrush, Vetiver and Heliconia. Vetiver is a native
medicinal plant of India. It has fibrous root system and has high resistance to polluted conditions. It has a unique
property to grow in harsh conditions and absorb the contaminants leading to bioremediation.
Figure 1. Vetiver grass
Substrate: Substrates for wetlands include laterite soil, sand, gravel etc. Gravel is used as the substrate as it provides a
large surface area for biochemical processes. It provide high conductivity which is required to stabilize hydraulic
retention time of wetland. Sand is considered as the most suitable substrate in relation to hydraulic and organic loading
which is a critical design parameter in SSF. Artificial products substrates like activated carbon are also used to increase
the efficiency of wastewater treatment. We have provided 20 cm layers of gravel, sand and soil along with 5 cm of
charcoal.
Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2018.0703014 2062ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2018
Water column: Water acts as a medium of transport for organic solids, gases, nutrients etc and helps in the occurrence
of biochemical reactions.
Living organisms: Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa play an important role in the treatment of
wastewater, due to fixed film or free bacterial development. Biological processes allow the degradation of organic
matter, nitrification in aerobic zones and de-nitrification in anaerobic zones.
Figure 2.Design of constructed wetland prototype using sketch up software
IV. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
The wetland’s extended detention hydraulic regime has a major influence on the establishment and persistence of
macrophytes within the wetland and therefore play a major role in the sustainability of vegetation cover within the
wetland and the ongoing water quality treatment performance of the wetland system. The tank dimensions were
therefore designed so as to meet the bioload capacity and the need for greater filtration capacity. Bulk density test for
filter media were therefore conducted. The bulk density for 10mm aggregate and 20mm aggregate was obtained as
1656 kg/m3 and 1618 kg/m3 respectively and the bulk density for sand was obtained as 1411 kg/m3. The gravel size in
the range 10mm to 20mm was adopted. The vetiver grass was used for the vertical flow type in the treatment of
wastewater. Laterite soil was used for the plant growth. Artificial products substrates like activated carbon are also
used to increase the efficiency of vertical flow constructed wetlands.
To determine the efficiency of local natural substrates in the treatment of primary effluent, experiments were
conducted and results were presented in the following table.
Table 1. Properties of the filter media in constructed wetlands
Sl.No Test Gravel Sand Inference
1. Specific gravity 2.42 2.651 According to the EPA water treatment manuals
filtration table 1,the specific gravity for gravel is 2.6
and for sand is 2.6.Specific gravity of our sample of
gravel was 2.42 which is near to the specified value
and for our sample of sand was 2.651 which is
equal to the specified value
2. Permeability 2.6*10-2 7.54*10-3 According to EPA water treatment manuals
(cm/s) filtration, the filter media should have good
hydraulic conditions (permeable).The hydraulic co-
efficient obtained for the above sample is 2.6x10-2
cm/s and 7.54*10-3 cm/s
3. Sieve analysis D10=0.317mm According to EPA water treatment manuals
Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2018.0703014 2063ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2018
Cc=0.869 filtration table 1, the effective size for fine
Cu=2.58 aggregate should be between 0.15-0.35 and the
(refer graph 1) uniformity co-efficient should be less than 3. The
effective size for fine aggregate of our sample is
0.34 which is In between the specified values and
uniformity coefficient is less than the specified
value.
Particle Size Distribution Curve for Sand
120
110
100
90
80
70 PARTICLE SIZE
%finer
60 DISTRIBUTION
50 CURVE FOR SAND
40
30
20
10
0
10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001 Particle size,mm
Graph 1: Particle size distribution curve for sand
V. CONCLUSION
Constructed wetlands are an effective and low cost way to treat water polluted with organic compounds that is
uncomplicated in technology and have a beautiful landscape view. They use the same processes that occur in natural
wetlands but have the flexibility of being constructed. The major components include vegetation, soil and hydrology.
The top layer is planted and was allowed to develop deep, wide roots which permeate the filter media.
Vetiveria zizanioides was used for the constructed wetland due to its simple, hygienic and low cost means of
treating sewage water. It also promotes total system effectiveness due to its strong fibrous root system which enables in
the removal of contaminants in the effluent.
Wood charcoal was preferred as it has the ability to trap other carbon based impurities as well as things like
chlorine.
The filter media act as a filter for removing solids and a base for vegetation. Structurally there is a layer of soil
for slope (2:1), followed by layers of sand and gravel. Experiments were conducted to determine the suitability of local
natural substrates (sand and gravel) as filter media in constructed wetlands. The specific gravity of gravel (2.42) and
sand (2.651), the permeability of gravel (2.6*10-2 cm/s) and sand (7.54*10-3 cm/s) was determined and the sieve
analysis for sand was conducted and the effective size (0.317mm), uniformity coefficient (2.58) and fineness modulus
(2.58) was determined .
The use of constructed wetland system therefore provides good water quality and prevents the development of
unacceptable pollutant levels. It helps in reducing the level of organic and inorganic constituents of wastewater. It is a
new green technology, which has been recognized and accepted as a creative, cost effective and eco-friendly system
when compared with conventional treatment systems.
Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2018.0703014 2064ISSN(Online): 2319-8753
ISSN (Print): 2347-6710
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Visit: www.ijirset.com
Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2018
REFERENCES
[1] Arushai Sheoran, “Constructed wetlands as sustainable solution for municipal wastewater”, International Journal of Applied Engineering and
Technology, Vol. 5(1), , pp. 69-77,2015.
[2] David O. Olukkani, Kola.O.Kokumo, “Efficiency assessment of a constructed wetland using eichhornia crassipes for wastewater treatment”,
American Journal of Engineering Research, vol.2, ,pp. 450-454, 2013.
[3] Dr. Haga Osman, Dr. Hanan Osman, “Efficiency of constructed wetlands in arid regions”, International Journal of Engineering Innovation and
Research, ,vol. 3, issue 5, pp. 597-603, 2004.
[4] Erina Rahmadyanti, Edy Wiyono, “Model performance of constructed wetlands in the treatment of wastewater from urban flats”, American
Journal of Environmental Engineering, vol.3 no.4, pp. 170-178, 2013.
[5] Jaya S.Pillai, Vijayan N, “An ecological sanitation approach in a constructed wetland ”, International Journal of Innovative Research in
Science, Engineering and Technology, Vol. 2, issue 10 , 2013.
[6] Jegannathan Kenthorai Raman, Edgard Gnansounou, “A review on bioremediation potential of vetiver grass”, Waste Bioremediation, pp. 127-
140.
[7] Shereen N. Abed, Nidal Mahmoud, Saroj K. Sharma , “Potential of horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetlands for polishing of treated
sewages” , Journal of environmenal Engineering, vol.142, issue 6,2016.
[8] Shuh-Ren Jing, Ying Feng Lin,Kai-Chung Shih, Hung-Wei Lu, “Applications of constructed wetlands for water pollution control
inTaiwan:Review”, Practise Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic and Radioactive Waste Management, vol.12, issue 4, 2008
[9] S Qomariyah, AH Ramelan, Sobriyah, P.Setyono, “Use of macrophyte plants, sand and gravel materials in constructed wetlands for greywater
treatment.”, International Conference on Advanced Material for Better Future 2016, vol. 176 conference 1.
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